Historically, a company or an individual desiring to engage in information management, such as the management of client lists, appointments, client specific information and industry trends, for example, have had very few, if any, options available. The best option available was to create a complex filing system based on and keyed to a particular point of data, such as a client, and/or a tax identification number, for example.
However, whether such a system is kept electronically or otherwise, data thusly stored or accessible is often not uniformly maintained, is generally incomplete, and is often not linked by common features. For example, a client may be tracked by last name but may not be linked to a spouse having a different last name because the data is keyed solely to last name. Consequently, the information between these two clients may never be aggregated, and thus may not be readily substantially simultaneously reviewable.
The aforementioned issues may be particularly relevant in the financial sector. For example, poor information management in this sector may make client information, such as links between clients or different asset classes or accounts, not readily accessible.
Therefore, the need exists for information flow management that may be accessed from any communication device, that provides a central access point and data management point, and that improves information flow between users and clients, including third party users and potential client and/or contacts.